Path to March Madness: How Colorado State turned poor start into an NCAA Tournament spot

SEATTLE — Who saw this coming in mid-December?

The Colorado State men’s basketball team was 5-5 on Dec. 15 and the path to that record felt even worse than the results.

There was a brutal beatdown in Boulder to rival Colorado and devastating home loss to UC-Riverside thanks in large part to a half-court shot.

Three months later, the Rams are dancing and one of the popular national Cinderella picks of March Madness.

“Everyone here, we all believe that this is the most change a team that any of us have been a part of has ever happened,” CSU guard Kyan Evans said this week.

The eye test matches the bold statement from Evans. It’s been a stunning and total transformation. Here’s a look at the key moments along the way.

Colorado State’s path to rock bottom

Not only were there the large amount of losses early, but it was brutal how they happened. Almost everything went wrong. Offense is typically a Niko Medved staple, but this group sputtered.

"We were broken on offense," Medved said of where the team was even in preseason workouts.

Even free throw shooting was poor in the first few games. The Rams were out-muscled on the glass and didn’t really defend well, either.

“Our first few games I feel like we would just get cooked in a ball screen 50% of the time,” CSU’s Ethan Morton said.

Not scoring, not rebounding and not defending? Well, that’s how you lose a lot of games early. And CSU did.

And they’re happy they did.

“I'm a believer in that. Sometimes you have to go through the losses and the tough times and the adversity to get to — that's where the most growth happens,” Medved said. “And oh, man, ‘if you hadn't lost that game early.’ But we did. Maybe we needed to to figure things out.”

Win at Nevada a key moment

The Rams were in the 2024 NCAA Tournament but with a senior-heavy squad. It meant 10 new players for 2024-25.

Even returning players like Evans, Nique Clifford, Jalen Lake and Rashaan Mbemba were in significantly changed roles.

CSU lost 70% of its scoring from last season to graduations and transfers out. It took some time for everyone to settle (not to mention early-season injury struggles for Mbemba causing further shuffling).

Slowly it started to come together.

Then, the Rams went to Reno as an 8.5-point underdog to a Nevada team picked to finish second in the Mountain West (CSU was picked seventh).

CSU stunned Nevada 66-64, with Evans notching his first signature moment of his young career with a late 3-pointer to seal the win.

“We obviously had our struggles in the beginning, but I think the turning point for us where we got a little confidence was the Nevada game, probably. We kind of clicked a little bit,” Evans said.

Corner turned at Christmas break

That Dec. 21 win at Nevada was a start of what Medved calls a key area. He tells his players that the Christmas break, where games are sparse, is where teams can make the biggest in-season leap.

The Rams did lose Dec. 28 at home to eventual regular season champion New Mexico, but even though not everyone knew it at the time, big progress was being made.

"I feel like just looking back, I remember Coach Medved saying before Christmas break, you know, this is where teams get better," Lake said. "Everybody makes the biggest jump around the Christmas break, and we really took that to heart and went in to work every day.

"We didn't look into the future. We didn't look behind us. We just kept focusing, trying to get better, what we could do each and every day. It just shows, we showed so much growth from top down. It's awesome."

A Dec. 31 win at San Jose State also proved key. Morton missed the game sick, which slid sophomore Jaylen Crocker-Johnson into the starting lineup.

CSU rolled the Spartans 72-50. More importantly, the right rotation and roles clicked into place. Morton moved to a bench role, where he has shined.

The Rams have used the same starting five players every game since and they have a 19-5 record.

Colorado State’s tenacity and swagger found

One of the most memorable moments of the season will be one not in the stat sheet.

As the Rams were swashbuckling their way through a dominant run in the Mountain West tournament, they were rattling teams with their defense.

It was visible on the faces and in the play of Utah State and Boise State at times. At one point a loose ball went bouncing toward the sideline and both Morton and Bowen Born launched themselves onto the ground after it.

They slid into the scorers table together, laughing and patting each other on the back. The bench exploded with excitement.

They hadn’t even reached the ball in time to get it but it showcased the dogged determination of this team.

That tenacity is the highlight of the 10-game winning streak heading into the NCAA Tournament.

“I love defense, so our defensive transformation has just been incredible,” Morton said. “Our growth there and making teams beat us with tough shots, our rebounding has gotten a lot better. Just the growth in those areas has been so impressive because we’re not here without that.”

CSU is holding opponents to 61.4 points per game and 40.8% shooting in the win streak.

CSU’s offense has turned, too

Nique Clifford of the Colorado State Rams hoists the MVP trophy after the team's victory over the Boise State Broncos in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 15, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Rams defeated the Broncos 69-56

Of course, the story of the season can’t be written about Nique Clifford. The 6-foot-6 wing is the Mountain West’s best NBA prospect and on an absolute tear.

He was the conference tournament MVP as he averaged 25 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists over three games.

Clifford is the first player in program history to have 500 points, 300 rebounds and 100 assists in a season.

It’s not just Clifford, though. CSU’s depth shined. Born and Morton sparked the Rams in the title game with their offense. CSU is 25th in the nation in assists per game and eighth in the nation in assist rate.

The Rams are averaging 16.6 assists per game to rank 25th in the nation. Their assist rate of 62.8% is the eighth best in the country. The Rams are the top 3-point shooting team in the conference and 55th in the country.

Oh, remember the early free throw struggles? CSU is top-25 in the country there, too.

‘Incredibly special’ story for CSU

It’s been a total transformation.

The Rams are 17-3 since the calendar turned to 2025 and even as a No. 12 seed are slight betting favorites over No. 5 Memphis (noon Mountain, Friday, March 21 on TBS).

Even the most optimistic supporter would have been hard-pressed to predict this happening in mid-December.

It’s a journey Medved isn’t taking for granted as the Rams are now in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons.

“It's surreal. What an incredible story. I mean, this team, the legacy of this team is going to live on forever. It's a great story, just for people. Resilience and staying together and believing in something bigger than yourself,” Medved said.

“There's been a lot of great teams and stories. But this is incredibly special. I just think even when the dust settles, people will look at this and go ‘oh, my goodness,’ you know? It's not just that we won. It's kind of how we've done it. You know what I mean? We keep coming and coming and coming and playing better and better and better.”

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: How Colorado State turned poor start into an NCAA Tournament spot